Installing KDE in a debian-13 template revisions

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Revision #3

Edited on
2025-11-18
Edited by user
tasket
Using KDE in Qubes templates / app VMs is possible. Here are steps for getting it working: Below are steps for setting up a functional KDE 6 in Qubes debian-13 templates. Note this does not include unifying KDE/Qt/Gnome/GTK appearance settings and file dialogs...
6. Shutdown the template. 7. Change template and appVM settings under the "Applications" tab to include the new utilities. Adding "Open file manager" and "Run terminal" will run the default file browser and terminal (in this case, Dolphin and Konsole) assigned for the template's environment, but you can also add "Dolphin" and "Konsole" as app entries to access them directly. 8. (Optional) Run Dolphin and under "Configure Dolphin -> Context Menu" de-select the "Send file via KDE Connect" plugin. This will prevent Dolphin from freezing for 30sec when you first access a file's context menu. (It would be preferable to configure KDE Connect to prevent this delay... suggestions are welcome!) 6. Copy the desktop definitions for Qubes file browser actions (_Copy to other qube, etc._) from their old locations to the KDE 6 compatible locations: ``` $ sudo apt install zenity $ sudo cp -a /usr/share/kde4/services/qvm-convert-pdf.desktop /usr/share/kio/servicemenus $ sudo cp -av /usr/share/kservices5/ServiceMenus/qvm-* /usr/share/kio/servicemenus ``` The last set from *'kservices5/'* will lack necessary info now required by KDE 6. Add the lines for _copy, move,_ and _dvm edit_: ``` $ sudo sed -ri 's|^(\[Desktop Action)|X-KDE-Submenu=Actions\nMimeType=inode/directory;all/allfiles\n\n\1|' /usr/share/kio/servicemenus/qvm-{copy,move}* $ sudo sed -ri 's|^(\[Desktop Action)|X-KDE-Submenu=Actions\nMimeType=all/allfiles\n\n\1|' /usr/share/kio/servicemenus/qvm-dvm* ``` 7. Shutdown the template. 8. Change template and appVM settings under the "Applications" tab to include the new utilities. Adding "Open file manager" and "Run terminal" will run the default file browser and terminal (in this case, Dolphin and Konsole) assigned for the template's environment, but you can also add "Dolphin" and "Konsole" as app entries to access them directly. 9. (Optional) Run Dolphin and under "Configure Dolphin -> Context Menu" de-select the "Send file via KDE Connect" plugin. This will prevent Dolphin from freezing for 30sec when you first access a file's context menu. (It would be preferable to configure KDE Connect to prevent this delay... suggestions are welcome!)

Revision #2

Edited on
2025-11-14
Edited by user
tasket
1. In dom0 make a clone of a debian-13 template (which is Gnome-based): 1. In dom0 make a clone of a 'debian-13' template (which is Gnome-based).
These instructions can probably be adapted for Fedora templates as well with some changes to the `tasksel` and `apt` steps. They may also work when starting from an Xfce template; in that case the 'autopurge' step will be very important for removing the Xfce environment settings as simply removing the packages doesn't work.These instructions can probably be adapted for Fedora templates as well with some changes to the `tasksel` and `apt` steps. They may also work when starting from an Xfce template; in that case an additional `apt autopurge xfce*` step (in addition to purging `gnome*`) will be very important for removing the Xfce environment settings as simply removing the packages doesn't work.